Roses and Thistles: His performance on- and off-court is meritorious

The Des Moines Register editorial board is bestowing a rose each day in December in recognition of the good that is found in Iowa. We hope you have enjoyed this special end-of-the-year feature.

- Randy Evans, opinion editor

A rose goes to NBA record-holder Kyle Korver, 32, for extending his streak of 3-point baskets to 100 consecutive games on Sunday night during his Atlanta Hawks' loss to the Orlando Magic. Korver first broke the NBA record on Dec. 6 and has extended it each game since then. He spent his teen years in Pella and played basketball for Creighton University. He is one of the NBA's most accomplished 3-point shooters. But this rose goes as much for how Korver performs off the basketball court as it does for what he achieves on the court. Since joining the NBA in 2003, Korver has avoided the stereotypical athlete-party-boy role and has focused, instead, on helping underprivileged children and those in need in the cities where he has lived. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty, drugs and crime with opportunity and hope. "You don't do it for reward, fame or for people to notice you," Kyle told the Register's Rick Brown a few years ago. "You just do it because you can and it's the right thing to do. That's how I was brought up." Kyle's father, Kevin Korver, is a Pella minister. That Christian upbringing has carried beyond Pella. Kyle remembers that in high school, he was "pigeon-toed, not super coordinated. Who'd of thought that kid would get to play in the NBA? I have no explanation other than God is using me for something. All this is a gift."

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Roses and Thistles: His performance on- and off-court is meritorious

The Des Moines Register editorial board is bestowing a rose each day in December in recognition of the good that is found in Iowa. We hope you have enjoyed this special end-of-the-year feature.